Greece joins the fight against the labeling of EVOO in the Nutri-Score

Published Jul 19, 2021

Tridge summary

The Exporters Association of Crete (EAC) expresses concerns over the European Commission's strategy, 'From farm to table', and the World Health Organization's harmonization of frontal labeling systems, particularly the Nutri-Score system. The EAC warns that these initiatives, instead of guiding consumers towards healthier food choices, could steer them wrongly towards processed foods. The association uses extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as an example, highlighting its health benefits but its 'C' category classification by Nutri-Score, which incorrectly ranks it below certain processed foods and soft drinks. In anticipation of the European Commission's mandating a single FOPL in 2022, the EAC and various stakeholders have called for EVOO to be excluded from the Nutri-Score system or for it to be reclassified to A, arguing that a lower classification could have detrimental consequences for both public health and the economy of food producers.

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Original content

According to the Exporters Association of Crete (EAC), the harmonization of frontal labeling systems (or FOPL) -promoted by the WHO- and the strategy "From farm to table" of the European Commission, aim to help Consumers to choose the healthiest foods. Among the existing FOPL systems, the Nutri-Score seems to be gaining traction among food producing companies, consumer organizations and European retailers, mainly due to its simplicity. "The Nutri-Score algorithm evaluates only a part of each nutritional profile and, of this, only the following elements: energy value, total fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt, protein and the amount of fiber", has detailed the EAC, which has stressed that "it does not consider the general quality of each food product or ingredient -natural or chemical-, nor the recommended daily consumption or the possible presence of healthy ingredients such as vitamins, biophenols, antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, probiotics, etc. " Thus, the Helena association ...

Source: Mercacei